Many persons enjoy electronic messaging, which generally comprises text messaging, video messaging, or a combination of both. Most electronic messaging applications, however, limit the user experience to the world of the electronic device's screen. As electronic messaging applications enable users to express their personal thoughts and feelings, users are continually looking for new ways to personalize their electronic messages.
Avatars are, generally, digital character that in some way represent their owners within a digital world. Many avatars are rendered in three dimensions. An avatar can be a digital likeness of the user, an existing avatar selected by the user, or an existing avatar that the user has personalized. Avatars tend to be used in video games, but can be used in other electronic program as well. Typically, an avatar offers the user the ability to create a digital other-self that can interact with digital worlds. The user therefore experiences a vicarious sense of being in that digital world.
Augmented reality is an increasingly popular way of interacting with the world. Using a camera and an electronic device running an augmented reality software application, digital elements can be superimposed into the camera feed in real time and their position can be maintained within the camera feed even if the camera moves. This creates the impression that the digital element exists in the real world, even though its existence is limited to the device's screen. Augmented reality offers both users and companies new ways to interact with the world around them by laying digital elements into real-world environments.
What is needed therefore is an electronic messaging system that combines the expression abilities of electronic messaging (both text and video messaging) with the personalization of avatars and places the whole in an augmented reality environment.
Attempts to meet these needs have been made with varying degrees of effectiveness. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0115426, incorporated by reference herein it its entirety, discloses a system and method for dynamic and interactive avatars of social networking members for use in visually displaying interactions and activities within a messaging context. While this disclosure does provide for avatars in messaging programs, the avatars lack appropriate customization options, and this disclosure fails to provide for an augmented reality element.
Another attempt can be seen in the disclosure of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0302652, incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, which generally discloses a pair of glasses and associated systems that give the user an augmented reality experience. While this disclosure provides for an augmented reality experience, it fails to provide for avatars or electronic messaging.
Another example is U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0277903, incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, which generally discloses a text messaging program that enables users to send audio files such as audio stickers in their text messaging threads. While this disclosure does provide for separate audio files within electronic messaging systems, it fails to pair those audio files with an avatar or to provide an augmented reality system.
As can be seen, a need exists for a system, method, and apparatus for avatar-based augmented reality electronic messaging.